Help please*** crystal's in urine.

**luvmybullie** · 10-29-2010, 08:04 AM

Ok I have a question. Last Saturday we were out in the boat with our Eng Bulldog & I noticed his urine was very bloody. So we took him to the Emergency vet & after an urinalysis they said he had crystal in his urine. They put him on Baytril 136 mg 1 a day & said if the blood does not go away within 24-48 hours to take him to his vet but if there is no blood to just finish all the Baytril (14 days) then take him in for just another urinalysis.
So Monday am I called our vet just to follow up & they said to just keep giving the Baytril & we can have the urinalysis after he is done with his meds. Tuesday night he looked like he was not going pee very much so we caught some in a container & looked at it & you could see like pure sand looking stuff & by the am he was hardly going at all & by the afternoon he was straining real bad. So I called our vet Wednesday afternoon explained when he goes pee it is only a few drops that come out & he has been on the Baytril since Sat night so I wouldn’t think he should be getting worse. Well I am told the same thing & that it is normal for him to strain & to just keep giving him the Baytril. Well by yesterday it had got worse so I called them & they brought him & cath him but I guess they couldn’t get the cath in very far so he had a blockage & then they did an x-ray & flushed him out & filled up his bladder which made him go pee. They did that a few times then he switched his medicine to Clavamox 375 mg 1 every 12 hr & said if he strained at all to give him the Rimadyl 100mg ½ of tab every 12 hr as needed & they switched his food to Hill RX U/D. I had him on the Fromm surf & turf which he loved! Now as of last night he was back to straining again & he just isn’t going normally. I know it is like a UTI (so I am told) so I assume he will have pressure like he needs to go but only go a little bit? The vet says as long as something is coming out then it is ok & there is no blockage. And of course we are taking him out to go pee more often so he may not go every time. We are just very concerned & worried my husband stayed home from work yesterday & today to be with him. Our vet is great with this breed... Please any advice or just that this is normal when this happens!

**bullmama** · 10-29-2010, 10:44 AM

I have never had experience with this but I shared on facebook so maybe some of our other pet lovers out there have. It sounds very uncomfortable. Is he drinking plenty of fluids? Did you ask what the benefit of Hills RX U/D is and why you would need to change the food?

**cali~jenn** · 10-29-2010, 10:48 AM

Oh my gosh, havent heard of this but it does sound scary to say the least. If your vet is good with bullies then I suppose you have to assume they know what they are talking about but I would be anxious also. Hopefully someone on here has heard of this and knows more. Am also curious what the reason for the food change was? Hmm...

**bullmama** · 10-29-2010, 10:55 AM

I just did some research and it sounds like the food change is necessary.

Special diets work by reducing the mineral building blocks or urinary stones in the urine. These diets affect the urine pH and increase urination to help flush the urinary tract.

To completely dissolve the stones takes 4-16 weeks, depending on the size and number of stones present. During this time it is very important that your dog consume nothing besides the prescribed medications and the prescribed diet. Otherwise, the diet will not work properly and your pet will be plagued with this condition longer than necessary. Follow your veterinarian's directions when feeding the prescribed food, whether for treatment or prevention. Although these foods may not look like your typical dog food, most dogs readily eat these diets and find them palatable. If your dog is one of the few that doesn't readily accept a new diet after two days, you may want to try the following:

* Warm the canned diet to, but not above, body temperature
* Hand feed the new diet for the first few days
* Mix the dry diet with a little warm water and wait 10 minutes before serving
* Over a 7-10 day period, mix the diet with your pet's former food, gradually increasing the proportions until only the new diet is being fed

Feed only the prescribed diet!

Do not feed meat, liver or other animal tissue, vitamin/mineral supplements, calcium supplements, breakfast cereals or vegetables.

Be patient, but firm with your dog. This is important. The success or failure of treatment depends to a large degree on strict adherence to the new diet.

If a bacterial infection is present you may need to keep your dog on antibiotics during this entire period.

Here is the symptoms:

A dog with urolithiasis will exhibit some or all of the following symptoms:

* Frequent urination (often in unusual places)
* Bloody urine
* Dribbling urine
* Straining
* Weakness
* Depression
* Loss of appetite
* Vomiting and pain

If your pet has any of these symptoms, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. In some cases without appropriate diagnosis and treatment, your dog could face a life threatening situation. Stones can block the urine flow, prevent elimination of poisonous wastes and cause death. It is important to know that not every dog with canine urolithiasis exhibits all of these symptoms.

And here is some things that can contribute:

* Age: Urolithiasis may appear in your dog when it is less than two months old, but most stones occur in dogs two to ten years of age.
* Sex: Urolithiasis appears to occur with equal frequency in adults of both sexes. However, because the urethra of the male is longer and narrower than the female's, urethral obstruction is more common in males.
* Breed: Small breeds, including the Welsh Corgi, Miniature Schnauzer, Pug, Lhasa Apso, Pekingese and Yorkshire Terrier are more commonly affected than are large breeds. The Beagle, Dachshund, Dalmatian, Bulldog, Basset Hounds, Cairn Terrier and Scottish Terrier are also susceptible.
* Confinement and Exercise: Infrequent urination, as a result of confinement, lack of regular exercise, or low water intake, contribute to the formation of crystals and uroliths.
* Diet: High levels of some minerals in the diet, such as magnesium, phosphorus, and sometimes calcium, have been directly linked to canine urinary bladder stone formation. A diet with excess protein can contribute to stone formation.

When you were feeding Fromm how much did you give per day in feedings? And I know summer just went by so exercise was probably not happening very often. Did the vet say to increase his exercise and to push fluids?

**TessaAndSamson** · 10-29-2010, 12:43 PM

I have never had any experience with this. So sorry you are going through this, I hope your bully gets better soon!

**luvmybullie** · 10-29-2010, 01:02 PM

Thank You all so much....we are very worried he is our baby & I think it is going to take time & we just want it to be over. He doesn’t seem to be in any pain, his spirit is still high & good lol he wanted his skateboard to play yesterday & he still seems to act ok except for the urine thing. The vet said he needed the special food for only 2 weeks along with the med. Our fear is if it will get blocked & we not know or have enough time to get him to our vet or the ER vet. When he was on the Fromm he got 1 cup in the am & 1 cup at night sometimes he gets a little more but he doesn’t always eat in the am, I guess you can say he eats when he wants to but he has never liked a dog food as much as the Fromm surf & turf he loves it! He was looking at the bag last night like why am I not getting that kind mommy. He is eating the new food so that is good! This is the 1st time this has happened so we are just so worried.

**luvmybullie** · 10-29-2010, 01:04 PM

Oh and yes they said try to get as much fluid in him as possible but that is kind of hard if he doesn’t want to drink allot. I did put some in his water bottle that we take for him on his walks & he seems to drink more if we give it to him that way.